Mechanism for guiding music-sheets.



T. P; BROWN. MECHANISM FOR GUIDING MUSIC SHEETS.

APPLICATION I'ILED JUNE 7, 1909.

Patented Dec. 14, 1909.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

MECHANISM FOR GUIDING MUSIC-SHEETS;

Patented Dec. 14, 1909.

Application med June 7, 1909. Serial no. 5oo,e4 a.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THEODORE P. Baown, a citizen .of the United States, residing. at Worcester, in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented a. new and useful Mechanism for Guiding Music- Sheets, of which the following'is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of musical instruments in which the note sheet passes over a tracker.

The principal objects of this invention are to provide an exceedingly simple and inexpensive mechanism for keeping the musicsheet central. with respect to the tracker, in which the parts are so constructed and arranged as to be capable of the necessary adjustments and yet be inexpensive to manufacture, and have a few parts that are likely to get out of order inuse; also to provide means whereby the expansion and contraction of'the sheet in width will automatically moveboth flanges of the spool equal distances in opposite directions so that the sheet will always remain central with respect to the tracker; and improved means whereby the sheet will also be kept exactly central as it is wound on the take-up spool, the variation in the width of the sheet itself being utilized for the purpose of automatically holding it in central position.

Further objects and advantages of the invention' will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to'the accompanyin drawings, in which,

Iigure 1 is a front view of a tracker b ox showing a preferred embodiment of the invention applied thereto; Fig. 2 is a plan of the same; Figs. 3 and 4 are opposite end elevations; and Fig. 5 is an en elevation on enlarged scale of one of the guides in the tracker box.

The invention is shown as applied to an ordinary form of tracker box 10 having a flange 15,

stationary tracker 11, a music spool 12, and a take-up spool 13. The music spool is provided with a movable flange 14.- and a fixed and the take-up spool is shown as being entirely without flanges. The movable flange of the music spool is 1n contact with a spring-pressed plunger 16 connected with a movable-rod 17 movable in a bushing 18 on the frame of the tracker-box. The plunger 16 has a bearin 19 at its end for the movable flange.v

- vention as expressed in the clalms.

Tie rod, 17 extends thron h the wall of the tracker-box and is provi ed with a screw thread on the outer end on which isadjustably mounted a screwthreaded member 20. 'To this member is fixed a rod 21 shown as extending up over the top of the box and connected with a lever 22 on the top having'arms of equal lengths extending oppositely from its pivot. At the other end this lever is pivotally connected with a rod 23 which is secured to a member 2%. A sliding rod 25 connected with the flange 15 and music spool to move therewith is pressed by a spring 26 against the member 2t. It will be seen therefore that the music spool is longitudinally movable and that its motion is equal and opposite to that of the flange 1- the flange 15 going with the spool.

From the. construction so far described it will be obvious that when the paper either contracts or expands, even if all this contraction should be u on one side of the center, the flange 14 will be moved either out or in, and this motion will be transmitted to one of the rods 21 or 23 directly and indirectly to the other so that both flanges will be caused to move in or out equal distances and the spool will movewith the flange 15 so as to be kept. central. In this .way the music sheet is kept central both with respect I to the music spool and tracker;

Connected with the members 20 and 24 are rods 27 which extend freely through openin s in the tracker box and have on the 91K s thereof .a pair of guides 28 inside the box adapted to engage the edges of the music sheet just before it is wound upon the take-up spool as is indicated in F ig. The guides 28 are operated with the'fla-nges of the music spool and thus the sheet is caused to be wound up on the take-up spool evenly, uniformly and centrally. In order to give further. assurance that the guides 28 will operate equally one of them is connected with av lever 30 and the other with a rod 31 which is connected with the opposite end of the lever, the two arms of the lever being of the same length.

while I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the invention I am aware that manymodifications can be made therein by any person skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the in- Therefore, I do not wish to be limited to all the details of construction-herein shown or described, but 5 What I do claim is 1. The combination with a tracker, of a longitudinally movable music spool having a relatively movable flange on one end, and means connected with the movable flange for shifting the music spool oppositely to the motion of the movable flange and to the. same extent. i

2. The combination with a tracker, of a longitudinally movable music spool having two flanges, one fixed thereto and the other movable thereon, and means connected with both of said flanges for transmitting the i'notion of each flange to the other in the opposite direction.

The combination with a tracker box and a tracker, of a music spool in the box having two flanges, one movable thereon and the other fixed thereto, said spool being movable with the latter flange, rods extending beyond the tracker box from the two flanges, and means outside the box for connecting the rods and transmitting motion from each one to the other in reversed direction. v v

The combination with a tracker box and a tracker, of a music spool in the box having two flanges, one movable thereon and the other fixed thereto, said spool being movable with the latter flange, rodsextending beyond the tracker box from the two flanges, members engaging the rods, one of said members being adjustable, rods fixed to said members, and a lever connected at its ends with the lastnamed rods, said lever being pivoted at the center.

The combination with a tracker box and a tracker, of a music spool in the box having two flanges. one movable thereon and the other fixed thereto, said spool being movable with the latter flange, rods extending beyond the tracker box from the two flanges, members engaging therods, one of said members being adjustable, rods fixed to said members, a lever connected at its endswith the last named rods, said lever being pivoted at the center, and one of said mem bers being adjustably mounted on its rod,

and the other being loosely engaged by the end of its rod, and a spring for movably pressing the last named rod outwardly.

(3. The combination with a tracker box and a tracker, of a music spool in the box having two flanges, one movable thereon and the other fixed thereto, said spool being movable with thelatter flange, rods extending beyond the tracker box from the two flanges, members engaging the rods, one of said members being adjustable, rods fixed to said members, a lever connected at its ends with the last named rods, said lever being pivoted atthe center, and a pair of guides for the music sheet connected with said members to move therewith. I 7. The combination with a tracker box and a tracker, of a music spool in the box having two flanges, one movable thereon and the other fixed thereto, said spool beingmovable with the latter flange, rods extending beyond the tracker box from the two flanges, means outside the box for connecting the rods and transmitting motion from each one to the other in reversed direction, and a pair of music sheet guides on the opposite side of the tracker mounted to move with the flanges.

8. The combination with a tracker, of a longitudinally movable music spool having two flanges, one fixed thereto and the other movable thereon. means connected with both ofsaid flanges for transmitting the motion of each flange to the other in the opposite direction, a pair of music sheet guides, and means for sm'iultaneously and automatically moving both guides toward or from each other equal distances.

9. The combination with a tracker, of a longitudinally movable music spool having two flanges. one movable thereon, and means for transmitting the motion of *ach flange to the other in the opposite direction.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

THEODORE P. BROVN.

\Vitnesses ALBERT E. FAY, (i. Fonmcs'r lVnssox. 

